Best Latin Programs in Northeast for Non-preppy Student

<p>Anyone recommend a Latin program in the northeast with tons of depth and rigor--with a 'diverse' student body?</p>

<p>Well, Yale, though it is very, very high on the "entitlement" index. Very high percentage of students from private schools, low percentage of students on financial aid, fewer than 10% of students on Pell Grants. Still, for classics, it would be difficult to do better.</p>

<p>Bryn Mawr has a very strong reputation - but I have no idea about the depth.</p>

<p>BU seems to have a good Classics department, and they're certainly making an effort to attract students to their department. They offer like twelve scholarships (some full, some half) for top scorers on their exam, and there are certainly a wide range of classes offered.</p>

<p>Check out <a href="http://www.bu.edu/classics/contest/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bu.edu/classics/contest/index.html&lt;/a> for more information on the scholarship contest. There's also a pretty extensive listing of courses on the department page.</p>

<p>If you're looking to go higher, Brown and Yale both have extremely well-known departments.</p>

<p>Cheers, the Latin scholarship exam is November 13 in Boston. I do think that the BU classics department is trying to attract kids from all over to compete for these scholarships. Applicants who live more than 350 miles away from Boston could arrange to take the exam in their local area. My S's Latin teacher arranged for him to take the exam at his high school.</p>

<p>Good ideas. Student is interested in Latin in particular--not general classics. That may change--but it is her criteria and passion at the moment.</p>

<p>I almost wrote 'Anti-preppy' instead of 'Non-preppy'--but interesting that was interpreted as needing aid. Actually, she doesn't NEED any aid for any level of tuition--though she may qualify for merit. </p>

<p>BU interesting idea. What about Northeastern? Smaller LACs? Carolyn?</p>

<p>Wesleyan or NYU come to mind.</p>

<p>I think Northeastern is a great school. But I wouldn't reccomend it for a Latin or classics major by any means.</p>

<p>Thanks C. NYU was an early thought because this student seems to be the ideal fit for Greenwich Village--but she visited New York and didn't like it at all. I almost can't compute that. What's not to like? But nevermind...</p>

<p>Wesleyan....</p>

<p>You're right K. NE doesn't even HAVE a Classic dept. Must have heard wrong..</p>

<p>S didn't like NYU either. He preferred BU or GWU for an urban campus. Although he's not planning on a classics major, Latin is one of his favorite subjects.</p>

<p>She didn't even tour NYU, that's how much she didn't like New York City.</p>

<p>Big mystery to me, but hey, 'to each her own'.</p>

<p>Can't go wrong with Boston or Washington DC for four years of formative thinking. That's why I'm not surprised H trumps Y and P every year. Cambridge over New Haven or P New Jersey? No contest for me--but then again, I love Manhattan...and Rome...and...Paris...and....Hong Kong....and...Venice...and New Orleans...and Singapore....and...</p>

<p>I think the difficulty with the question is that the vast majority of students who require "in-depth" Latin are likely to have gone to prep school. So it isn't at all strange that the best "in-depth" Latin (or classics programs) are likely to exist at places with high preppy quotients. </p>

<p>Is the student a senior? If not, and she hs no financial need, why not consider the best? (Oxford, or, maybe, that inferior institution (LOL!) Cambridge?) Even for an American, and including travel, it will still cost less than the 50 or so top colleges here, and the depth of offerings is far greater than anything to be found here. (Classics- actually "Artes Humaniores" -- at Oxford is a 4-year program, unlike most of the degrees, which are 3 years.) Admissions are very, very stiff for non-Commonwealth students, but about 30 or so go every year.</p>

<p>Virtually all the LACs are just too small to offer anything in the way of real depth.</p>

<p>Don't know if your daughter would consider the mid-Atlantic region, but Swarthmore is of course very diverse and has wonderful classics profs.</p>

<p>Columbia, Fordham and NYU all have top 25 Classics programs.</p>

<p>It's not that it's strange, mini, it's the challenge for this particular student. She is a junior at a big rural public high school--with a fantastic Latin teacher, apparently. </p>

<p>She will take Latin next year at a well-regarded LAC.</p>

<p>Swarthmore is a possible....Oxford is probably too much of an ask. I don't picture her taking a double dose of culture shock (college culture plus pub culture).</p>

<p>What about Chicago? Its Classics department looks great.</p>

<p>Swarthmore, Williams, Smith, Reed, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Amherst all have very well-known classics profs. The problem is that there just aren't too many of them, and so depth is going to be limited. You can extend it, say, in the 5-college consortium around Amherst/Smith, or the three colleges (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore) but still, even taken together, they aren't going to get close to matching Yale (in depth, that is - the actual quality may be just as good or better, though I wouldn't know).</p>

<p>Not to push the issue - but remember that college life at Oxford is organized around very small colleges - the largest is much smaller than the average LAC. This really does take a lot of the edge off the culture shock (and will certainly be less shocking than something like UChicago, unless she is prepared for that kind of environment.)</p>

<p>Chicago is interesting....thanks Marite.</p>

<p>Student is highly self-sufficient and successful but not an extrovert. Sociable, but not an extrovert. Think I have to disagree Mini, based on personal experience. Moving to the UK would be a much much bigger social shock than any US college. Particularily now, when Americans aren't terribly 'valued'. It's a big ask and not suitable for this student. Her sister maybe--but not this one.</p>

<p>Besides, I believe the Oxford posters have routinely stated that there are very few undergrad Americans at Oxbridge. It's mostly grad students. Not sure why....with all the IB sorts.</p>

<p>Might have already been mentioned but Wellesey might also be a good choice if she isn't opposed to an all-female school.</p>

<p>I'd add Vassar, and Brown if no one mentioned it. Don't know if you'd call them preppy, but they both have diversity of a sort.</p>